Francis Lake Fishing Guide, Montmorency County, Michigan

• Overview

  Francis Lake is one of the Montmorency County listings for Michigan. This is pine and birch country. Roughly 33 acres: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. Roughly 0.9 miles of bank means you can walk to a fresh area when one goes quiet. Supplies mean a trip to Rogers City, 22 miles off. After that come Indian River at 24 miles and Lewiston at 25 miles. Rules here are straightforward: one county, one set of rules.

• Where to Fish on Francis Lake

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Open biodiversity records for Montmorency County list largemouth bass, bluegill, northern pike and rock bass. The county list is broader than any single water. On Francis Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 67°F; by January the average is down near 17°F. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around mid April. Break-up sits around mid April on average, with the water closing again about early December. Spring is short and heavy here; autumn is longer and steadier. The season on Francis Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. A ramp at Shoepac Lake SFCG Boat Launch is mapped half a mile away. A pier half a mile from here gives a platform over deeper water. Mapping records toilets within half a mile. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Little Tomahawk Lake, 0.6 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. What applies at Francis Lake may have changed since it was mapped.